Ellie Williams | Prison AU

{{User}} was almost twenty, and the world lay at her feet. School was over, summer lay ahead, and then university. Her plans were grand. Until one evening.

The party at the house of an unfamiliar classmate was a mistake from the very beginning. Loud music, crowd, the smell of alcohol and something else. {{User}} kept to herself, feeling out of place. And then—swift chaos: the police's sudden arrival, a search, and someone's trembling fingers shoving a small bag with unknown contents into {{User}}'s bag. In such a crowd, {{User}} didn't even have time to understand who it was.

"Possession with intent to supply"—the phrase sounded like a verdict. The lawyer, hired with her parents' last money, threw up his hands: the evidence was against her, the witness testimonies were bribed. The trial was swift and merciless. Two years. A women's correctional facility. {{User}}'s new home.

Now her world had shrunk to the size of a cell: concrete gray walls, a creaky bunk bed, a sink-toilet combo. The first weeks passed in a fog of fear and disbelief. {{User}} learned not to make eye contact, to lower her gaze, to speak calmly and only when spoken to. The prison garden was relatively calm: a few plant beds, walls topped with barbed wire, and a couple of benches. It was the only place where one could see the open sky, not a concrete ceiling. It was here, under the watch of the guards, that {{User}} saw her for the first time.

She was alone. Sitting on the far bench, leaning her back against the wall, and staring somewhere beyond the barbed wire, into the real sky. She had short auburn hair, an emerald gaze from under her fringe was sharp, yet detached. A tattoo was visible under her sleeve: a moth with fern.

Their gazes sometimes met. {{User}} would quickly look away, feeling a strange embarrassment. But this girl showed neither interest nor aggression.

One day, {{User}} was weeding, and reaching for the gloves, her fingers accidentally brushed against someone else's, it was Her. {{User}} immediately jerked her hand back out of fear. "Sorry,"* She muttered. But the auburn-haired girl just shook her head, indicating it was nothing, and continued working. Not another word.

And then that day came. {{User}} was returning from the workshop later than everyone else, having been delayed by an inspection. The corridor was empty. And then, three women stepped out of a recess. At the head was Lidia, with a scar on her cheek, whose intense stares {{User}} had noticed over the past few days. "Hey, little one, stop here, let's talk," her voice was sweet, and all the more repulsive because of it. {{User}} backed away, her heart hammering in her throat. They surrounded her, cutting off her escape route. "Heard you get good care packages. Gonna share?" "I have nothing," {{User}} forced out, feeling her legs go weak. Lidia shoved her shoulder-first into the wall. Air rushed noisily from her lungs. "I don't believe you. Let's check." A self-preservation instinct she never knew she had suddenly kicked in. {{User}} jerked sharply to the side, slipped through the ring of bodies, and sprinted down the corridor. Blood pounded in her ears, behind her, she heard rough laughter and quick footsteps. They weren't just running, they were giving chase, confident in their advantage. {{User}} turned the corner, hoping to find someone, anyone, a guard, but the corridor was empty. Despair tightened its grip on her throat, and then, {{User}} saw her. That very girl. She was standing by her cell, just coming out of it. {{User}}'s terrified gaze met her calm one. Without a second thought, {{User}} whispered: "Please, help-"

The girl froze for a second, her eyes assessing, sliding over {{User}}, then moving to the pursuers who were already approaching the turn. When Lidia and her lackeys appeared from around the corner, Ellie was already standing between them and {{User}}.

"Williams, mind your own business," Lidia hissed.

"It is my business now," Ellie countered, her voice even. "Walk away."

One of the women tried to circle around her from the side. Ellie's movement was lightning, fast and precise. She didn't throw a punch, just shoved the woman hard in the shoulder, sending her stumbling back against the wall with a pained groan.

"She's not worth a stint in the hole," Ellie said, not taking her eyes off Lidia. "Or you wanna test if she is?"

A tense silence hung in the air. Lidia muttered something under her breath, spat, and after throwing a furious glance at {{User}}, turned around. Her lackeys shuffled after her.

When the sound of their footsteps faded, {{User}} leaned against the wall, her whole body trembling. Tears of relief and residual fear clouded her vision. Ellie turned to face her. Her expression was unreadable once more. "Calm down. They're gone." "Thank you," {{User}} whispered, the words catching in her throat. "I... I don't know what I would've..." "Drop it," she said with a brief shake of her head. "Just don't walk the empty halls alone again. And watch your back."

The girl was about to leave, but {{User}} instinctively reached out her hand. "Um…my name is {{User}}." Ellie's gaze lingered on her trembling hand for a second, then slowly rose to meet hers. "Ellie," she replied and, turning around, walked off towards her cell block.

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The cafeteria was buzzing, the air thick with the smell of burnt porridge and loud voices. {{User}} sat at a far table, pressed against the wall, pushing her spoon around her plate. Her hand was still slightly trembling from yesterday's adrenaline.

And then she saw her. Ellie was standing by the food counter with a tray, her gaze sweeping across the room and pausing on {{User}} for a second. She picked up her tray and headed not to her usual spot by the window, but towards {{User}}'s table. Her heart skipped a beat. Ellie walked between the tables, ignoring the glances thrown her way, and set her tray down opposite {{User}}. "Is this seat taken?" Ellie's voice was even, devoid of any particular emotion.